WARNING: language. Don't blame me. Gretchen is angry
I know, too many dedications lately, but this one goes to OinkyThePiggy, who found a wonderful picture of a female Groundhog. Check it out
/~ from prismnet
I imagine her body being a bit more human, kind of like Lola ;) just so that she did inherit something from her mom. Her eyes would be bigger as well, but the rest of the face ia pretty close to what I picture she would look like.
sorry, my little monster managed to delete this chapter earlier. Here it is again.
"Toooooooth! Saaaaandy!" he screamed, but he knew it was in vain, there was no way they could hear him or see him.
Bunny was falling. He was desperately looking for something to hold on to, anything, but it was impossible to see with the heavy fog and the speed in which he was falling. His heart was pounding in his chest. This could not be it. This could not be the end. There had to be a way.
Just as he was about to loose hope, he felt something wrapping around his waist. A tree branch? He was trying to make sense of it all when he saw a black figure coming towards him and his stomached flinched. Gaia. Who else could make a tree hug him? She was coming fast. The pooka tried to reach his boomerangs to no avail, unable to escape the tree's tight grip.
And then, the muffled sounds coming from the black figure started to make sense. Bunny smiled. It wasn't Gaia, it was Gretchen.
"You stupid, freaking idiot! You liar, asshole! You promised! How dare you let go of my hand like that!" she was raging, running done the tree in all fours, all her animal instincts surfacing.
Bunny felt something stir in his chest. She was scared. Her eyes were wide with terror. Whatever he felt that morning when she was the one falling... she felt it too. It was mutual. He smiled widely. If this was really the end of the world, then he would go with no regrets.
"You idiotic freak! Do you know how scared I was! What was I supposed to do if something happened to you! You promised to keep me safe, you moron!" the Groundhog kept ranting. She needed to let out the adrenaline or she would explode.
"Gretchen, just put me down so I can kiss you." he said nonchalantly.
"You fuc... What?!" she stopped on her tracks.
"You did this, right? Put me down so that I can kiss you" he repeated slowly, as if he was talking to little Sophie.
And putting him down she did. The tree loosened it's grip on the pooka, who fell unceremoniously on his bum with a loud thump.
"Gretchen, you have to come down now" he smiled, although he wasn't sure that she could hear him.
Was he kidding her? Did he really mean what she though he meant? She was frozen in place, but the tree slowly brought her to the ground. She eyed him suspiciously but he was just standing there, his hand outstretched for her to take it, his white smile shinning through the heavy fog. She slowly walked towards him, unsure. As soon as she was close enough, he took her hand, entwining their fingers together, just like lovers do. She still didn't smile. Frankly she was just frozen.
They were both soaking wet from the storm. But it didn't matter. The world around them was just a blur. There was nothing but his hand on hers, nothing but her beautiful green eyes piercing his. As far as they were concerned, they were the only two people in this Earth.
He hesitantly pull her closer, placing his other hand on her neck, his thumb caressing her jaw. His smoldering eyes were piercing hers, searching. He wanted her to know that he was really going to kiss her. He wanted to make sure that this was OK. It wasn't really because of his romantic nature. Bunny didn't have any. He was not the kind of guy who would shower a girl with compliments or even say 'I love you' ten times a day. He was not the type to gift flowers and chocolates either, and he definitely wouldn't be writing any poems anytime soon. No, Bunny was actions over words. He wouldn't say it, he would show it. He was the open arms to hold her tight, the kind, trustful eyes that would always be there, the knight in shiny armor that would go to the depths of Hell to find her.
He wasn't trying to be romantic at all, but Gretchen was strong and really short tempered. He wanted to make sure that she knew he was serious. He preferred to avoid debilitating injuries before the battle had even started.
She was sure her body had dissolved in the rain because all she could feel was her thumping heart and his thumb setting her face on fire. His hand let hers go but she didn't protest. Her body was limp as could be. He placed his hand on her back, pulling her even closer until their foreheads were touching. Her whole body was in flames now and the butterflies in her stomach were throwing a party as she felt his warm breath on her face.
"I can barely concentrate with you around" he whispered.
She couldn't feel her knees at all, she was sure that only his hands were keeping her upright.
"I need you to do something for me" he continued, their noses were touching now.
"Anything" she managed to breath. She was about to swoon. She had dreamt about this moment for centuries.
"I need you to go to the old theater and stay there. I need to know that you are safe" he said, closing the gap between them.
"What?!" Gretchen pushed him away. "Fuck you, E. Aster Bunnymund!" she was fuming. "You have to be freaking kidding me! I just saved your ass! I didn't need any help this morning until your stupid friend tried to help me! You misogynistic bastard! I have freaking magic! I'm as strong as you are, as fast as you are! So what if I'm scared of heights? You are scared of heights too!"
She gasped. Her eyes wide with an emotion Bunny couldn't understand.
"Bunny..." she said so low he could barely hear her "have you noticed... how similar we are?"
"I have noticed many things about you, love" he said, reaching for her hand again. "I'm sorry, I know you can do this, I'm just afraid to loose you. It makes me vulnerable to Pitch."
Gretchen didn't even hear that. She was lost somewhere far away.
"Mom, are you sure I'm not adopted or something? C'mon, I'm almost 90 now, you can tell me!" asked a very young Gretchen.
Gretchen's mother was still a very beautiful woman despite her advanced age. Her green butterfly wings were decorated with intricate patterns and long green curls framed her delicate face.
"You are my beautiful daughter, my own flesh and blood. Have you seen your eyes? They're exactly like mommy's" she said, tickling the little girl.
And they were. Gretchen's eyes were the exact same olive green as her mother's. The same intense color of her wings and hair.
"But... why am I so different? Why can't I be a pretty girl with butterfly wings?" asked Gretchen , sadness written all over her face.
"Gretchen, you are a beautiful girl. You are only different because daddy was not a fairy like us. You are very special, sweetie." replied her mom.
"What was daddy? Maybe I could find his people and..." asked Gretchen. She had asked many times before, but she never got an answer.
"Your dad was a brave, loving man. He loved us both very much. He died trying to save others, trying to protect you. He was a hero. He's still looking after you, he'll always look after you."
"A pooka" she breathed. "I am a pooka"
"I thought so too, but it's impossible. We are all bunnies." said Bunny, his hand found it's way to her neck once more. "Unless you're changing your appearance on purpose... are you?"
"No, I can't do that. Trust me, I've tried. But I would only be half pooka, my mother was a Forest Fairy..." she offered.
The Guardian's mouth fell open.
"Gretchen... how old exactly are you?" he asked, hesitant.
"Seven hundred and thirty... two, thirty three?" she really stopped counting after five hundred.
"Ronan!" breathed Bunny. "You..." he started breathing heavily "you are a pooka... I knew your father."
